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Is there a disconnect between the Congress and the Prime Minister on the government's stand regarding the contentious genetically modified (GM) vegetables? The party on Monday backed environment minister Jairam Ramesh's decision to defer the introduction of Bt brinjal.
The support came a d

Is there a disconnect between the Congress and the Prime Minister on the government's stand regarding the contentious genetically modified (GM) vegetables? The party on Monday backed environment minister Jairam Ramesh's decision to defer the introduction of Bt brinjal.

The support came a day after Prithviraj Chavan, minister of science and technology and minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), took a contrasting stand, favouring the introduction of GM food crops.

Ramesh had last Tuesday declared a moratorium on commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal on the ground that sufficient tests had not been conducted to render it safe for public consumption.

But in an interview on Sunday, Chavan is reported to have said that new technologies like genetic engineering should not be postponed indefinitely just because of the lack of scientific consensus. Slogan- shouting and protests cannot be allowed to cloud our scientific vision, he was quoted as saying.

Even as a section of Congressmen see Chavan's view as that of the PMO, the party appears to have thrown its weight behind Ramesh.

Asked to spell out the Congress's stand in view of the conflicting views of Chavan and Ramesh, party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said: "The government has taken a decision, Jairam Ramesh took a stand. It is a sensitive issue. The health of the people is paramount. We will go for more investigation." Last Wednesday, a senior general secretary of the party, who did not want to be named, told media persons that the Congress had forced the environ- ment minister to defer the introduction of the controversial Bt brinjal in the country.

He said the party is against any move to introduce Bt brinjal cultivation as it is "harmful not only to the country's economy, but also to the health of the people." Sources said Chavan's remarks indicated the PMO's opposition to Ramesh's stand on GM brinjal cultivation.

Chavan has been a minister of state in the PMO since UPA-1 came to power in 2004. Ramesh, on the other hand, is considered close to the Congress brass. He has been one of the war- room boys during election campaigns and is a member of party's Future Challenges Group.

Sources, however, said the Congress is supporting him not because of his proximity to the top brass but because many in the party believe it is a health issue and needs thorough investigation.

Ramesh's stand has also pitted him against agriculture and food minister Sharad Pawar, who is learnt to be unhappy with the decision to defer the introduction Bt brinjal.

Even as Pawar is trying to counter the argument of those against GM vegetables by collecting scientific data, some in the Congress see a Maharashtra angle to the controversy. Bt brinjal has been developed in India by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company or Mahyco.

Earlier, too, Ramesh and the PMO have not been on the same page on green issues.

The minister kicked up a row when he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister suggesting that India change its stand on greenhouse emissions and the need to junk the Kyoto Protocol.

He was repeatedly snubbed by the PMO after his controversial letter became public and was told to keep away from at least two international conferences over the past few weeks.

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